cried, "What is happening, Lady Lettice? Angelo is confused!"
"Hush, Angelo," the woman said quietly, taking in their gaping gathering with one sweeping glance. Then she saw Louisa and Sir Belvedere, and her eyes widened.
"Louisa," she said, her voice low and calm. "Sir Belvedere. So lovely to see you again. Have you moved on, or have I returned to Royce Castle?" Before they could answer, she glided forward, her skirts rustling silkily, the little man tugged in her wake. "But I can see that I am back at the castle. I remember these tunnels. Oh, indeed I do."
"Hello, Lettice," said Louisa.
"Fair Lady Lettice," Sir Belvedere said, then did one of his clanking bows. "We are very happy to see you again."
"Are you?" Lettice murmured. She looked at Antoinette, who still stood in her circle of lights. "And I suppose you are the one who brought me here?"
Antoinette tilted her chin back, her eyes narrowed as she examined Lettice. "I am Miss Antoinette Duvall," she answered. "I am the one who summoned you."
Lettice frowned, her pale forehead puckering under the widow's peak of her hair. "But whatever for?"
"It was at our request," Louisa said. "We wanted to see you again."
"Did you?" Lettice asked, still looking most puzzled.
Then Angelo pulled at her hand again and squealed, "Angelo is hungry, my lady! They took me away from my cakes and ale."
"Hush, Angelo. You are always hungry." Lettice pressed one hand on her throat, clattering the long strands of pearls and rubies there. "I need to leave these tunnels!"
She floated quickly out into the night, along with the noisy Angelo. Louisa and Sir Belvedere followed her, leaving the humans alone.
Cassie pulled away from Phillip to look up at his face. She expected to see him scornful and doubting, perhaps with his brow raised or a cynical little smile on his lips.
Instead, he was almost as pale as Lady Lettice. He stared unseeing into the depths of the tunnel, where the ghosts had appeared.
Cassie reached up and gently touched his cheek, bringing his gaze back to her. His skin was cold. "Phillip?" she whispered.
He placed his hand over hers, holding it to his cheek. "This is some sort of dream, is it not, Cassandra? A dream that has you in it, as well. I knew I should not have eaten that mushroom tart at supper."
"It is not a dream," Cassie answered. "I told you Antoinette has powers, but you did not believe me. Now you can see that there really are spirits, right here in your very home."
He frowned. "How do I know that these people are not actors you have hired to play out this little scene?"
His mother heard his words. She pulled away from Chat and straightened her cloak over her shoulders. She, too, was a bit pale, but her eyes were bright with excitement. "Don't be so ridiculous, Phillip! How could we get them to fly? To glow? And why would we go to so much trouble just to play a joke on you ? My dear, you are just going to have to face the fact that there are things in this world that your books cannot explain. That logic cannot dismiss."
With a decisive little nod, she hurried out of the tunnel in search of the ghosts. Chat followed her.
Antoinette was gathering up her book and herbs, her dark face suffused with joy. "I did it!" she murmured as she blew out most of the candles. "I truly did it. Oh, I wish Mama could see this!"
And, she, too, left the tunnel, not even seeing Phillip and Cassie still standing there.
In the cold gloom, Phillip staggered over to an old upturned crate and sat down on it heavily. "So it was not a dream?" he muttered. "How can that be? What was it?"
Cassie was very worried. He did not sound at all like his usual scholarly self. He sounded, and looked, like a little lost boy.
She thought with a fright that perhaps the shock had undone him. She hurried over to his side and pulled the collar of his coat closer about his throat.
"It is all right," she soothed. "Quite all right. Spirits have always been with us, even in ancient Greece.
"Hush, Angelo," the woman said quietly, taking in their gaping gathering with one sweeping glance. Then she saw Louisa and Sir Belvedere, and her eyes widened.
"Louisa," she said, her voice low and calm. "Sir Belvedere. So lovely to see you again. Have you moved on, or have I returned to Royce Castle?" Before they could answer, she glided forward, her skirts rustling silkily, the little man tugged in her wake. "But I can see that I am back at the castle. I remember these tunnels. Oh, indeed I do."
"Hello, Lettice," said Louisa.
"Fair Lady Lettice," Sir Belvedere said, then did one of his clanking bows. "We are very happy to see you again."
"Are you?" Lettice murmured. She looked at Antoinette, who still stood in her circle of lights. "And I suppose you are the one who brought me here?"
Antoinette tilted her chin back, her eyes narrowed as she examined Lettice. "I am Miss Antoinette Duvall," she answered. "I am the one who summoned you."
Lettice frowned, her pale forehead puckering under the widow's peak of her hair. "But whatever for?"
"It was at our request," Louisa said. "We wanted to see you again."
"Did you?" Lettice asked, still looking most puzzled.
Then Angelo pulled at her hand again and squealed, "Angelo is hungry, my lady! They took me away from my cakes and ale."
"Hush, Angelo. You are always hungry." Lettice pressed one hand on her throat, clattering the long strands of pearls and rubies there. "I need to leave these tunnels!"
She floated quickly out into the night, along with the noisy Angelo. Louisa and Sir Belvedere followed her, leaving the humans alone.
Cassie pulled away from Phillip to look up at his face. She expected to see him scornful and doubting, perhaps with his brow raised or a cynical little smile on his lips.
Instead, he was almost as pale as Lady Lettice. He stared unseeing into the depths of the tunnel, where the ghosts had appeared.
Cassie reached up and gently touched his cheek, bringing his gaze back to her. His skin was cold. "Phillip?" she whispered.
He placed his hand over hers, holding it to his cheek. "This is some sort of dream, is it not, Cassandra? A dream that has you in it, as well. I knew I should not have eaten that mushroom tart at supper."
"It is not a dream," Cassie answered. "I told you Antoinette has powers, but you did not believe me. Now you can see that there really are spirits, right here in your very home."
He frowned. "How do I know that these people are not actors you have hired to play out this little scene?"
His mother heard his words. She pulled away from Chat and straightened her cloak over her shoulders. She, too, was a bit pale, but her eyes were bright with excitement. "Don't be so ridiculous, Phillip! How could we get them to fly? To glow? And why would we go to so much trouble just to play a joke on you ? My dear, you are just going to have to face the fact that there are things in this world that your books cannot explain. That logic cannot dismiss."
With a decisive little nod, she hurried out of the tunnel in search of the ghosts. Chat followed her.
Antoinette was gathering up her book and herbs, her dark face suffused with joy. "I did it!" she murmured as she blew out most of the candles. "I truly did it. Oh, I wish Mama could see this!"
And, she, too, left the tunnel, not even seeing Phillip and Cassie still standing there.
In the cold gloom, Phillip staggered over to an old upturned crate and sat down on it heavily. "So it was not a dream?" he muttered. "How can that be? What was it?"
Cassie was very worried. He did not sound at all like his usual scholarly self. He sounded, and looked, like a little lost boy.
She thought with a fright that perhaps the shock had undone him. She hurried over to his side and pulled the collar of his coat closer about his throat.
"It is all right," she soothed. "Quite all right. Spirits have always been with us, even in ancient Greece.
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